Drier



Jgne 25, 1929.

P. T, LNDHARD DRIER Filed Jan. 26, 1928 aff/54.

Patented June 25, 1929i.

Unirse STATES PATENT OFFICE.

POVL T. LINDHARD, 0F BROKLYN, NFJV YORK, ASSIGNOR lT0 F. L. SMID'JI'H & C0., 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DRIER.

Application filed January 26, 1928. Serial No. 249,603.

This invention relates to driers for the removal of excess moisture from coal and other materials and in which dry air or other drying medium is made to pass through a layer of the material, which itself is supposed to move forward, usually under the influence of gravity, as the moisture is progressively removed. In the use of apparatus of this general character, as heretofore constructed and in which the apertured or forarninous wall, over which or in Contact with which the material moves, is stationary, it often happens that the material clogs at one point or another. With material of any kind such clogging is likely to result in the formation of voids through which the drying medium passes freely while it does not pass through the clogged areas, with the result that the ina terial is not uniformly or thoroughly dried. With other materials, particularly coal, spon taneous combustion sometimes results also. The purpose of the present invention, there fore, is to provide a drying apparatus or drier in which all of the difliculties referred to shall be overcome and the material being dried shall move forward steadily without clogging and without the formation of voids. In accordance with the invention the material to be dried is caused to move forward between apertured or foraminous walls, formed, for example, by louvers, which have slight relative movement such that the material is agitated slightly and thereby is prevented from clogging. Preferably the apertured walls are arranged one within the other in circular or other convenient form so that the material is supported and moved forward by gravity in a hollow column, the air or other drying medium being passed inward from without or outward from within throughout the height of the column. One of the walls receives a relative rotary movement or a relative oscillatory movement with respect to the other so that the material is slightly agitated in its passage and prevented from clogging. The invention will be described more particularly hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which dierent embodiments of the invention are illustrated and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical sectional elevation of one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view of a different embodiment.

Figure 3 is a partial view, also in sectional elevation, illustrating still vanother embodiment.

Figure 4 is a top view of the construction shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail view on a larger scale showing a means for effecting vertical adjustment of the inner wall. l

In the several embodiments of theinvention illustrated in the drawing the material lto be dried is fed from a bin, a portion of which is indicated at a, through a chute Z) into a conical upper end c of a cylindrical shell d which may be supported on asuitable framework e.

In each of the embodiments illustrated there is supported within the shell (l a series of tapered rings 7" which form a louver-like wall with openings f1 between successive rings. The rings are sloped inwardly from the top down and at their lower edges are preferably coarsely sawtoothed, as at f2'.

Also in each of the embodiments illustrated there is supported within the louver-like wall formed by the rings f, another louver-like wall formed of rings g which are sloped outwardly from the top down, are spaced from each other by openings g1, and are also coarsely sawtoothed at the lower edge as indicated at g2. The rings gare supported by spiders g3 from a central shaft gt, which may receive a slow relative movement of rotation or a slightrelative movement of oscillation. In the construction shown in Figure l the shaft g* at its lower end carries a worm gear g5 engaged by a worm g which may be driven by any suitable means. In the construction shown in Figure 2 the shaft g4 carries near its lower end an arm ,Q7 which is connected to a link g8. The latter carries a roller gf for c0- action with a cam glo which may be driven by any suitable means, the roller gf being held in contact with the cam g1 by a spring g attached at one to the link g8 through an arm g12 and at the other end to the supporting frame. In this manner the shaft g4 and the rings g may be made to receive a slight movement of oscillation with respect to the louverlike wall f. v

The material received through the chute o slides down upon a conical distributor, which, as shown at it in Figure l, is carried by the shaft g4 and, as shown at h1 in Figure 2, forms part of the air discharge pipe 7a2. Freni the distributor It or L, as the case may be, the material passes down through the space between the louvcr-like walls f and g, forming a :hollow column. rlhe material completely ills the space between t-he two walls from top to bottom, representation of the material between the upper portion and the lower portion being omitted in order that the construction of the coned or sloped rings may be more clearly shown. As will be observed the space between the two walls is widened slightly from the top to the bottom so as to avoid the possibility of bridging or clogging ot the material in its passage. From the space between the two walls the dried material falls into the conical portion Z1 of the shell Z where it accumulates to some eX- tent and from which it passes through a sleeved central opening at Z2 upon an ordinary feed table from which it is discharged througha spout A regulating sleeve (Z3, surroundingthe sleeved opening Z2 and carried by an adjustable lever di', serves to regu- 'latethe discharge of the dried material from the shell eZ. The V:feed table may be rotated througlra worm 2 and worm wheel 3, the latterloeing secured to the :toed table through a sleeve A scraper', as indicated at 5 in -Figure t, may'beprovided to direct the material `romthe feed table into the chute 1.

In-the construction shown in Figure l the dry air or drying medium is delivered to the drier through an inlet Z and, being directed by an annularpartiticn Z1 passes through the 'apertured vwall and through the interposed hollow column of material into the space within the rings g, from which space it -passesoutg below the annular partition Z1, through `the -apertured walls and hollow column of-material to an outlet Z3.

In the construction shown in Figure Q'the dry air'or other drying medium is delivered from the inlet Zto the annular space between ythe shell Zand the outer wall f and passes thencethrough vthe two walls and the inten miaeea posed material into the space within the wall f, from which it passes upward through the discharge pipe h2.

In the construction shown in Figure 3 the air passes through the apertured walls and the interposed material from the annular space between the shell Z and the outer apertured wall f, as befo1'e,-and passes from the space within the wall g downward through an outlet pipe Z2.

In Figure 5 the thrust bearing c which supports the shaft g4 is shown as adjustable vertically for the purpose of effecting adj ust ment oit the rings g with respect to the rings f and thereby regulation oi' the movement of the material. Y

It will be understood that various changes in details oi? construction and arrangement can be made to suit dilferent 'materials and diierent conditions ot use and that, except as pointed out in the accompanying claim, the invention is not restricted to the particular construction and arrangement shown and described herein.

l claim as my invention:

ln a drier, the combination of a support# ing and enclosing shell, a vertical series of spaced coned rings, a second series of spaced coned rings, the two series being spaced one from the other, means to deliver to the space between the two series of rings the material to be dried, means to ell'ect a relative movement in horizontal direction of one of said series of rings with respect to the other, means to etl'ect vertical adjustment of one of said series of rings with respect to the other, and means to deliver a drying medium and cause the same to pass through said series of rings andthrough the material between the. same.

This specilication signed this 25th day ol' January A. D. 1928..

FOY/TLT. LNDHARD. 

